A conventional manufacturer may operate an assembly line to assemble and test products before shipping. In this situation, each point along the assembly line may include specialized manufacturing or test equipment that could require servicing from time to time (e.g., to replenish raw materials, to inspect equipment, to record operating status, to resolve manufacturing or testing problems, to provide routine maintenance, and so on).
To address such needs for service, some manufacturers may take a proactive approach by providing service people with lists of scheduled duties to carry out throughout the day or throughout a shift. For example, the first duty on the list for a particular service person may be to fix or replace a problematic component at a first point on the assembly line. The next duty on the list for that particular service person may be to inspect or calibrate another component at another point on the assembly line, and so on.
Other manufacturers may take a reactive approach to providing service by enlisting a team of service people who are available for dispatch as needs for service arise. Under this reactive approach, when a need for service at a particular point on the assembly line occurs, the next available service person on the team goes to that point on the assembly line to address that need.